Nets player grades: Cam Thomas has 12 in 130-77 loss at Pistons

The Brooklyn Nets (13-35) had one game left on their road trip that was mostly spent on the west coast, but it was arguably its toughest test of the entire trip playing one of the best teams in the league in the Detroit Pistons (36-12). Brooklyn had the kind of start to this game that they needed to keep the Pistons on their toes, but Detroit isn't the best team in the Eastern Conference for no reason.

The Nets lost at the Pistons on Sunday 130-77 as Brooklyn lost each quarter by as at least nine points as Detroit was ready to play after the first few minutes of the contest. Guard Cam Thomas had 12 points and three assists off the bench while rookie forward Drake Powell had 12 points and three rebounds, also off the pine, to tie for the team lead in scoring.

The Pistons did many things well in this one, especially with their ability to force Brooklyn into 25 turnovers, leading to 39 points for the home team. Detroit was led by first-time All-Star in center Jalen Duren with his 21 points and 10 rebounds while Cade Cunningham had 18 points and 12 assists to lead his team to another victory. Here are the Nets player grades following Sunday's loss at the Pistons:

Nolan Traore: D

Traore remained in the starting lineup with the Nets dealing with some injuries, but his shooting still didn't improve despite the amount of shots that he got at the rim. Traore has been better with his aggressiveness driving to the rim, but until he can be more consistent with his scoring away from the basket, opposing teams will force him to finish over the top on every drive.

Egor Demin: F

After coming off his best game of the season, Demin laid a dud in this one as he couldn't get anything going from the perimeter against one of the best defenses in the league in terms of defensive rating. Demin has had his fair share of ebbs and flows due to the physicality level of the other team, but a team like the Pistons are a tough matchup for most teams.

Terance Mann: D

Mann was efficient with the ball in his hands against a stout Pistons team, but he wasn't able to overcome how physical Detroit was throughout the game, especially with their constant presence in the paint. Mann has been one of the steady veteran presences on this young Nets team, but the Pistons look like they're ready to compete for a championship with this kind of performance.

Danny Wolf: D

Wolf struggled mightily shooting the ball against the Pistons as he couldn't get anything to fall from behind the three-point line, but he did have some success getting to the rim when a shot-blocker wasn't waiting for him. Wolf has had his issues finishing at the rim at the NBA level, but his offensive ceiling will be more determined by his passing and shooting.

Nic Claxton: C-

Claxton had a great start to this game as he got whatever he wanted against Jalen Duren and Detroit's frontline, but once this game got out of hand, Claxton didn't see the lob passes that he was getting in the first quarter. There wasn't much Claxton could do about the turnovers that gave the Pistons plenty of points in transition and it looked like he could've been on his way to a great game.

Jalen Wilson: C-

Wilson saw some extended playing time against the Pistons due to some injuries along with this game getting out of hand in the second half and head coach Jordi Fernandez throwing the towel early on in the half. Wilson struggled with his offensive efficiency overall and despite how hard he played on both ends of the floor, he just couldn't make an impact outside of his rebounding.

Day'Ron Sharpe: C

Sharpe struggled scoring around the basket going against Duren and Isaiah Stewart, but he still found his way to the free-throw line as he powered through Detroit's physicality in the paint. Sharpe did a great job of rebounding the basketball, but he turned the ball over way too much, something that his teammates struggled with in the face of the Pistons' stout defense.

Cam Thomas: C-

With Michael Porter Jr. out of the lineup due to personal reasons, Thomas was going to be one of the players that had to step up in multiple ways, especially with his scoring. Thomas was decent shooting the ball overall as he enjoyed plenty of success with his three-point shot, but he struggled with his mid-range and finishing at the rim to couple with his having more turnovers than assists.

Drake Powell: C-

Powell has been getting some tough love from Fernandez in recent weeks as the head coach wants the rookie to be ready to play whenever he steps on the floor, especially with his gifts to affect the game on the defensive end of the court. Powell was solid on the offensive end, especially with his ability to get to the free-throw line, but his defense was lacking in this one at the point of attack.

Ben Saraf: C

Saraf had an interesting outing against one of the best teams in the league as he didn't shoot the ball well at all, but he had the utmost confidence when it came to making plays for his teammates. Saraf was aggressive in driving to the basket, leading to free-throws, and he did a great job of taking care of the basketball and setting up his teammates with some nifty behind-the-back passes.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets player grades: Cam Thomas has 12 in 130-77 loss at Pistons